Khushi goes missing...:COMPLETE!Epilogue Pg 38 - Page 6

The SUV screeched out of Shantivan as Arnav took his frustration out on the vehicle. He changed gears as he merged into the traffic. He stuck the Bluetooth to his year and reached for the handset to call Aman. His trusted assistant may be of some help in finding Khushi…

The phone rang by then. Arnav quickly glanced at the screen.

It was Khushi.

He jabbed at the Bluetooth on his ear.

"Khushi, where the hell are you? Haven't I told you to not do this to me? Kaha gayi ho? Bathaaya kyo nahi?" questions tumbled out in a staccato as his mouth raced to catch up with his brain.

"A…Arnavji?"

Arnav sensed in an instant that something was wrong. He fell silent. He looked around impatiently and pulled over into a side road.

"Khushi? Talk to me dammit!" he urged as he continued to hear silence from the other end. "Are you ok? Tum theek ho?"

"Hum theek hai Arnavji. Hume bas…"

Arnav waited.

Silence.

"Bus kya Khushi? What's happening?"

He heard a sniffle at the other end.

Khushi is crying. What the…! Arnav felt a huge weight drop with a thud on his chest.

"Where are you Khushi? I'm coming there right now" Arnav ground out as he put the car in gear and reversed out of the quiet lane.

"Nahi! No…Arnavji, listen to me. I…I'm fine, don't worry. I just..I need some time to myself. Hame thoda akela rehna hai".

Arnav was bewildered.

"Akela? What do you mean Khushi? What nonsense is this?"

"Nonsense wonsense nahi. Aapke bhaasha mei kya bolte hai – 'me time'. I need some 'me time' Arnavji" Khushi's voice sounded stronger.

What? Arnav could not believe Khushi was spouting phrases like "me time".

"Abhi suniye Arnavji. I am somewhere safe, with a friend, don't worry. And no, before you ask, I'm not with Buaji. Please don't go there and worry them unnecessarily. And tell everyone at home that I'm with Buaji and I'll come home tomorrow. OK?"

"Khushi, what the hell? What's happening Khushi? I never knew when you left. Why did you go?" Arnav was getting desperate.

"That's probably part of the problem Arnavji. You don't know when I come or go anymore. You don't sense me."

Arnav's eyes widened. The weight on his chest suddenly grew heavier.

"Don't worry Arnavji. I'll call you tomorrow. We'll…we'll talk then, ok? Take care of yourself. Shubh raatri".

The line went dead.

Arnav lay his head down on the steering wheel. He hadn't felt this keen sense of loss since…since the night of the havan, when he thought Khushi was in the ambulance.

What happened? What have I done?

There you have it! Arnav is being as dense as any typical man, whilst our heroine is (finally, don't you think) taking some much needed "me-time". Comments?

P.S: Hindi is not my first language, please excuse any errors in my Hindi. Also, this is written "by the seat of my pants" as they say, so there are probably tons of typos and errors in the English as well. As Mamiji would say "Excuje me pleej!"